Live updates

The surge in UFO 'sightings' has been attributed to the popular trend of releasing Chinese lanterns at weddings.

There has been a marked increase in the amount of Chinese lanterns being released at weddings and public holidays.

One example included a sighting by a group of soldiers in Shropshire in 2008 who had seen floating lights in the sky. However this was later explained by a local hotel who were letting off Chinese lanterns at the time.

Possible reasons for the increase in sightings included the craze for releasing Chinese lanterns at weddings Credit: Anthony Devlin/PA Archive

Dr David Clarke, author of The UFO Files, said: "Many of the sighting accounts - such as formations of orange lights moving slowly across the sky - describe the appearance of Chinese lanterns even though people did not recognise them at the time."

Advertisement

A number of UFO sightings have been reported in the Midlands including one by soldiers in Shropshire in June 2008.

A memo on the incident at Tern Hill Barracks in Shropshire describes how a group of soldiers had seen lights in the sky and made a video of it.

In the Ministry of Defence file, an unnamed official described how it showed a number of lights in the sky but their change of colour and square appearance seemed to be due to the photographer zooming in.

The BBC has reported that at the same time as the alleged incident, a local hotel was letting off Chinese lanterns and, apparently, the hotel manager thinks the whole UFO story is 'highly hilarious'.

I do not intend to investigate any further as I think we have our answer.

UFO spotter Darren Perks filmed these images on Wednesday night in Shrewsbury. He was testing his infra red recording equipment when he picked up these white objects moving across the night sky - invisible to the human eye.

Mr Perks says he believes it's the public's responsibility to investigate these kind of sightings.